1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of medical treatment, and in particular to the treatment of medical conditions in human patients with the aid of a microprocessor-based video game.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Medical conditions associated with a patient's behavior pattern or well-being are typically evaluated and treated in therapy sessions conducted by a physician or a health care specialist. Depending on the ailment, a preliminary picture of the patient's condition may be available to the specialist in the form of answers to questionnaires or results of a battery of tests. This applies to psychological conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, hyperactivity, phobias, panic attacks, anxiety, overeating, and other psychological disorders. In fact, the number of diagnostic tests presently available for classifying these conditions is vast. Such tests rely on the patient to perform a self-examination and to respond candidly to a series of personal questions. Since most tests differ in their basic scientific assumptions the results obtained are not standardized and can not often be used to make meaningful case comparisons.
Consequently, the above-mentioned psychological conditions are fully diagnosed and treated in therapy sessions. In these settings the specialist can better evaluate the state of his patient and design appropriate, individualized treatment. Unfortunately, because of the amount of time required to do this, diagnosis and treatment are very expensive.
The actual therapeutic changes in the patient occur outside of therapy as the patient applies cognitive and behavioral strategies learned in therapy to problems encountered in day-to-day situations. Progress is predicated to a large extent on patient cooperation, discipline, and self-management. Diaries are employed to ensure patient compliance. Still, in many instances, lack of compliance to long-term therapy regimes presents a major obstacle to successful treatment. Children are a particularly difficult group of patients in this respect. Frequently, they lack the understanding, maturity, and perseverance required to successfully pursue a treatment plan.
In fact, it has recently been confirmed that in the case of anxiety the best treatment involves teaching the patients new ways of responding to old stimuli. Drugs may be used to blunt the physical aspects, but there is no data to confirm the positive effects of their long-term use. Meanwhile, treatment of depressions requires attentive counseling and listening to the patient. The same applies to treatment of personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, hysteria, and paranoia. Unfortunately, cost of treatment and compliance with suggestions made by the therapist are major problems, as pointed out above.
In difficult cases observation and comparison with criteria compiled in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders--the standard classification text of the American Psychiatric Association--are the only recognized treatment alternatives.
There is also a wide variety of medical conditions, other than the above-mentioned psychological disorders, requiring extensive self-help and self-treatment by the patient. These conditions include addictions, compulsive behaviors, and substance abuse. Most common examples are smoking, gambling, and alcoholism. At the present time treatment for these medical conditions involves counseling, distraction techniques, and chemical replacement therapy. Ultimately, however, all of these methods depend on the cooperation of the patient and a large dose of self-motivation. This is especially important when the patient is in his or her own surroundings where the objects of their addition or compulsion are easily accessible.
Unfortunately, compliance with medical advice is notoriously poor, and gentle persistence may be necessary. Some physicians recommend that the entire family or other group of significant personal contracts in the patient's life should be involved with the patient's consent. This, of course, presents major problems and is a costly treatment method.
Some attempts have been made at using computers to diagnose and educate patients about their medical condition.
Typically, these attempts have produced questionnaires which can be filled out on a computer, or educational programs telling the patient more about his or her medical condition. Unfortunately, these projects stop short of being sufficiently adapted to patient needs to help with treatment or therapy. In fact, health care professionals maintain that computers can never replace the sense of caring, of relatedness, which is the vehicle in which most therapy takes place.